Mealybug lures (pheromone traps)

[ralphrmartin]

Has anyone tried using mealybug lures plus sticky yellow traps as a method of controlling mealybugs - e.g. see
https://www.greengardener.co.uk/product ... mone-lure/
I see that only 1 to 2 lures are needed per hectare (!), they last about 6 weeks, and need to be stored in a freezer before use.

How well did they work? Would you use such a product again? There seem to be different lures available for different species, e.g. Citrus mealybug, Grape mealybug, etc., so which type of mealybug did you use a control agent for?

I'm thinking of trying them out, but they probably work better in warmer weather, so I thought I would ask if anyone else has experiences to relate in the meantime.

[Stuart]

Sounds interesting and I've not come across it before. Bit of a copy and paste job on the description that suddenly goes off at a tangent and turns into using cryptolaemus as predator bugs. SB seems to be the best currently available unless this is any better.

Stuart

[habanerocat]

Atrococcus mamillariae, formerly known as Spilococcus cactearum is our problem.
The male is the only one that can fly and doesn't feed. And the female can reproduce without the male.
So I wouldn't be holding out much hope.

[Paul D]

It's only males that are attracted to pheromones. Unfortunately most infestations in C&S collections are made up entirely, or almost entirely, of females, who multiply asexually.

[Chris L]

My mealy bug problem got a lot better (or less worse) once all the soil was gone and everything was in pumice.

September was a very quiet month for them this year (normally that is when I find an infestation will break out).

[ralphrmartin]

Thanks guys - I thought I had read somewhere that mealybugs are / can be parthogenetic. Perhaps that depends on the species, and also on environmental conditions. I have definitely seen more than one kind in the greenhouse. I've occasionally seen long-tailed ones. Of the remainder, some go dull red when soaked in meths, while others go grey-green. I did read a report about the use of multiple mealybug pheremones simultaneously, which concluded it could be done, although attraction efficiency could be lower.

Stuart, I have most of a 5 litre commercial strength (10x the strength sold to consumers) container of SB going spare if you are interested. It cost about £165. Make me an offer I can't refuse (I want more then £2.50). Plants accepted in lieu of cash. I'm afraid I didn't find it very effective when I tried it, plus some plants were marked or damaged by having their waxy coating washed off.

Interestingly, Chris, I dont seem to have seen any mealybugs near my Haworthias. Some are in pumice, but not all. Maybe Haworthias are just thick skinned, but maybe there is more to it than that. I did try using some diatomaceous earth at one point too, but that was also a disappointment. Chris, what was your ultimate conclusion about that? Has anyone else experiences of pumice reducing mealybugs?

Perhaps a horticultural researcher would like to apply for a BCSS Research Grant to do a scientific investigation?

[TomInTucson]

Thanks guys - I thought I had read somewhere that mealybugs are / can be parthogenetic. Perhaps that depends on the species, and also on environmental conditions. I have definitely seen more than one kind in the greenhouse. I've occasionally seen long-tailed ones. Of the remainder, some go dull red when soaked in meths, while others go grey-green. I did read a report about the use of multiple mealybug pheremones simultaneously, which concluded it could be done, although attraction efficiency could be lower.

Stuart, I have most of a 5 litre commercial strength (10x the strength sold to consumers) container of SB going spare if you are interested. It cost about £165. Make me an offer I can't refuse (I want more then £2.50). Plants accepted in lieu of cash. I'm afraid I didn't find it very effective when I tried it, plus some plants were marked or damaged by having their waxy coating washed off.

Interestingly, Chris, I dont seem to have seen any mealybugs near my Haworthias. Some are in pumice, but not all. Maybe Haworthias are just thick skinned, but maybe there is more to it than that. I did try using some diatomaceous earth at one point too, but that was also a disappointment. Chris, what was your ultimate conclusion about that? Has anyone else experiences of pumice reducing mealybugs?

Perhaps a horticultural researcher would like to apply for a BCSS Research Grant to do a scientific investigation?

Perhaps a horticultural researcher would like to apply for a BCSS Research Grant to do a scientific investigation?

In our dreams.

[Chris L]

I did try using some diatomaceous earth at one point too, but that was also a disappointment.
Chris, what was your ultimate conclusion about that? Has anyone else experiences of pumice reducing mealybugs?

To recap in case anyone is reading this who isn't aware of the diatomaceous earth experiment. Several years ago (2018?) I covered all my plants with a through dusting of DE - IIRC from late August to late May the following year. The aim to catch the September mealy season and knock them back a bit and then it still be there in May when it got warmer to catch them hatching out. Doing it then the plants were less likely to be looked at due to it being winter. Diatomaceous Earth works on contact by scratching the skin of the mealy and effectively killing it through dehydration/skin damage.

I was going to write an article about it for CactusWorld as I was sure it would be worthwhile for others to try because DE does seem to kill mealy bugs.... Captured mealies** (observed via magnifying glass and video footage) do cease to move if surrounded by DE - they won't/can't walk over it. Eventually enough contact with it will kill them either by rubbing or being trapped and starved.

BUT I decided against it mostly because for it to be really effective the DE needs to be on the plants for months at a time to capture the full life cycle - probably a full 12 months - and it was just too unsightly to have the plants covered with white powder for all that time..... It was like a really bad mealy infestation! I also became unsure about using it because it is dangerous to breathe in the dust particles and given how much is needed and how long it needs to be left on the plants I felt it wasn't worth the risk of using it (or advocating it).

Someone also pointed out that pumice dust is also dangerous to breathe in as (I think) it is of a similar property to DE. I kind of think that the mealies don't like it because it is rough and scratchy to them in the same way that DE is. I suspect that it is also less conducive to them leaving eggs in (as opposed to a more organic mix). A caveat is that I've also done a lot of overhead watering in 2021 and 2022 - as moving re-rooting plants stood in loose pumice isn't perhaps a good idea (chance of root tear) - so maybe that as well has washed a lot of above surface mealies into the pumice.

I still find mealies from time to time, and I do remember finding one infestation on the bottom of a plant that had lost its roots completely. I think the plant was so far gone that I just binned it. But yes there are far fewer mealy infestations (touch wood) than I had in the past.


** yes, I did go into the greenhouse with a magnifying glass and tweezers to capture live mealies to experiment on (please don't report me to the RSPCMB)....

-----

If anyone considers pumice as a silver bullet and wants to switch - two notes of caution - it is expensive&& to buy (but eventually offset by not having to keep buying grit and compost) and ALL the old soil must be removed from the roots and any old fine roots pulled off back to the main rootstock. "Pumice roots" are different to "John Innes roots".

&& my 12x6 greenhouse needed THIRTY 8kg bags - current price is £328 for that amount.

[Smel]

Hi,
Yesterday I took a look at the plants I'd brought indoors for the Winter, these are on various windowsills, and as we get cold they warm up with the heating on. I found a few mealies, but then I came across this. So it was out with the paint brush and Iso-propol, hopefully it's done the trick, but I think I'll need to check back later.

[el48tel]

oooooh .... looks .... nasty